Remembrance Day

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, a day to remember all those who have fought for the freedom of those who can't protect themselves.

This past week we have been studying the subject, and the boys have worked at memorizing "In Flanders Feilds."  Silas is pretty sweet, isn't he?

While I didn't want to dwell on the horrors of war, I did want to be honest about what it was like for the men and women that we are remembering.  The boys decided that they wanted to do a poster to show what they learned.

Here's Eli's.  He cut out everything so carefully and thoughtfully.  He also copied the entire poem on a separate piece of paper to put with it.  He is so wonderful.

And, here's Silas's.  I have to tell you, it is very interesting to me to homeschool two different children of two different ages.  As we started off making the posters, I kind of wanted both of the boys' posters to look like Eli's did.  But then Silas started cutting and pasting, and he knew exactly what he was doing, and he was just so cute. Then, when he cut out the big blob in the middle of the page, I was about to put a stop to it, thinking he was about to ruin the whole thing, and he said, "No, Mommy, it's the poison gas!"  That boy amazes me.  We'd talked about some of the awful things that the soldiers endured, and poison gas was one of those things.  Sometimes I think Silas isn't catching a word, but he got that.  I love him.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, that I am extremely grateful to the people who have fought for freedom, and for their mothers who are left behind.  Bless them all.

The Joy of Boys

My best friend is a firefighter. Her husband is also a firefighter. While this may seem like a perfect situation to most moms of boys, it actually poses huge problems in my home.

Typical scenario:

E and Si are playing firefighter. Silas wants to cut down trees with his firefighter axe. Eli insists that the axe is only to be used for chopping into buildings to save cats. This is where it gets messy. Eli insists he knows because Adrienne told him so.  Silas screams back, "Kevin told me it's for trees."  Now, I'm not entirely sure if Adrienne or Kevin have ever pontificated on the proper use of firefighter axes with my boys, but each of my boys is sure they have been given the authority by their favourite firefighter to declare what axes are for. 

Of course, mom is not an expert, and so no matter of explaining that axes may in fact be used for many tasks will make do.  And, Adrienne and Kevin are, of course, across the country enjoying the peace of the East Coast, while I am at home waging war over their mixed opinions. 

Eventually Silas gives in (since, in reality, his big brother knows way more than Adrienne or Kevin put together) and admits that he was just joking, and the axes begin saving cats the world over. 

And this mom finds some peace, for a few minutes anyway.

Thankful November 15

Today is Threeday.  Kind of like Thursday, or Saturday, but just for three-year-olds, and for that I am thankful.  If you have never had a Threeday cross your way, it's really unfortunate, for we love Threeday. 

Threeday, according to Silas, is the very day that "Grandma get Silas Build-A-Bear" day. Pretty much the best day in the world, if you happen to be Silas.  And, today was that day.

Si's Build-A-Bear of choice? Rudolf, of course.  His nose glows, just like it should.  I guess it's time to decorate for Christmas!

Ocean or Pond

Eli was what some would call an early talker.  He was having eloquent conversations with us before he was two. Silas, on the other hand, has taken a little longer to warm up to the whole talking thing. Not that that means he has trouble communicating by any means, he's just not as interested in the nuances of language. That's fine.  In fact, it gives us a lot of pleasure. The way he talks, like. every. word. is. it's. own. complete. sentence. is totally endearing.  "Mommy. me. jump. on. bed. on. my. butt." "Me. no. want. to. kill. da. mice.  Me. like. mice. Mice. nice."  The way he describes those things which are ours as "ars." is pretty cute too.  When he's repeating after us to say his nightly prayers, he often adds a few "nan-que for tha inni wee mamamama weeess baby strong."  Ya, we don't know what that means either.

Anyway, Eli is our greatest interpreter.  I'm pretty good at guessing what Si-guy says, most of the time, but where I lack, Eli makes up for me.  And, when Silas has trouble with words, Eli is quick to correct and instruct.

Like this morning for instance, when we were driving down the country road we take to get anywhere in the city, and Silas pointed out a pond and said, "Oh-see-en" (read: ocean), and Eli said, "That's not an ocean Silas, it's a pond." "No, oh-see-en."  Eli, looking exasperated looked at his little brother and said, "Silas, do you think a whale would fit in there?  Then it's not an ocean, it's a pond." Case closed.

So, if you are ever wondering if the body of water you are looking at is an ocean or a pond, just think if it could fit a whale or not and you will know. As for the lakes, sloughs, puddles and seas, I will have to ask Eli to elaborate on his theory for me later.

Sit back and snare a gopher

It occurs to me sometimes that there is a whole lot more I could be doing with my boys.  There is preschool, swim lessons, zoo programs, art classes.  There's gymnastics and baseball, soccer and tumbling. Even around the house I could be doing weekly letters and themed activities.  My Eli is almost five, and while he could count to 10 at 18 months, he hasn't gotten much beyond that.  There is a whole lot out there, and not much of it do we do.  Sometimes I feel guilty about it. Maybe we would be better off getting up and going to some lesson or another, rather than sitting around all morning eating breakfast slowly and playing lego.  Maybe the boys would have a happier summer at the lake if only I had them in swim lessons all year long. 

And then, we go out to the farm to do a whole lot of nothing, and Eli spends half an hour staring at a gopher hole.

And catches a frog in the grass, calmly examining it before he "lets it go back to it's family."

And in the meantime, Silas quietly and independently crawls over piles of wood, up mountains of dirt, and in and out of barb wire fences, staring down horses in the way.   

 And to some, racing off to swim lessons and gymnastics club, this may not seem very productive or educational, but to me it was absolutely beautiful. They will learn to swim this summer when they see all their cousins jumping in the lake.  You should see their tumbling acts as they wrestle on my bed every morning. Next week I may work on the alphabet, and counting past ten, and writing their names.  This week we're going to work on nothing, and enjoy every minute of it. 


And in case you wondered what Baby Brother was doing, he was going for his first horseback ride, just as you would expect a boy of mine to do.

Boys in Suits

Whoever says that boys are not fun to dress obviously just needs to find a neck tie the size of my thumb, match it with a pink argyle dress shirt and put it on their two week old.

Honestly, I could not have handsomer boys.  They are darling.  I didn't, however, get to hear anyone ooh and aah over the baby at church, because Jared kept stealing him from me!

I'm torn

After a wildly busy weekend, with Easter hunts, Zoo dates, learning to ride a big boy bike, long naps with my boys, and visits to the farm, I sit in my home now with a knitting project in my hands, watching my boys play so nicely together, and I realize that I need to cherish every minute of this.

In the final days of my pregnancy I swing wildly back and forth between feeling like 'I NEED this baby out NOW' and, 'I'm feeling good, I've got it good, and baby can just cook as long as he or she needs'.  Every time my belly tightens around my little one, and I wonder if it's the beginning of my birthing time, I get excited. But at the same time I wonder how things will change once it's all over.  The moment Silas was born everything changed between me and Eli.  Not that it was bad, it was just different.  He was no longer my only little buddy, my constant companion, my best friend.  He suddenly had to share all that.  For some reason I think the transition will be easier this time. After all, Eli and Silas have each other - and they are used to sharing me.  Still, things will be different.  Silas will not be my baby any more.  He will be a big boy, just like his brother.  Eli will likely have more responsibilities, and I know he will take them on beautifully.  He is always so glad to help.  But, having a new baby in our home will make him seem so much older.

So, for now, I'm going to enjoy the fleeting moments of the life I have with just Eli and Silas. I am going to let them play Lego a little longer, when I think things should be cleaned up.  I am going to try to be patient when they need to hug each other for at least two minutes before they go to bed at night. I am going to stare just a minute more when I check on them at night and they are draped over each other, sleeping so soundly.  I am going to pray that as the years go on, and my attention gets more and more divided, that my love for these boys multiplies just as much.  I don't know if we are adding another brother, or a little sister, to the mix, but whatever it is, I hope Eli and Silas will always know just how lucky they have it, having each other, and just how much their mommy is going to miss them, when it was just them.

The Things that I love about Silas

I love both of my boys so much, and narrowing down the reasons why is an impossible task, but I'm going to try.  I'm going to start with my dear, sweet Silas. He is just at that stage right now where I can't get enough of him.  He can be a total rotter, and I still just want to scoop him up and love him.

He is so different from Eli, in looks and personality.  Jared and I always go back and forth about where he gets what from (although there can be no denying where he gets his good looks from, can there?)   He is just so independent, and while he thinks his big brother is about the greatest thing on earth, he has no problem telling Eli what's up if he's been short handed in anything.  Unlike Eli, he is completely happy to play on his own, talking to himself and making a mess.  If he wants something, he quietly goes about getting it all by himself. 

Yesterday I hadn't heard him for a while, so I wandered the house (doesn't take long) and found him up on the kitchen counter (he pulled a stool from the table in to get up) with a banana peel next to him, a half eaten apple between his legs, a handful of raisins and a huge grin on his face.  I may not win mother of the year for not caring that he was sitting next to the oven and toaster (neither were on), but man, he wins something.  He will eat anything and can honestly out eat every one of us (he gets that from Jared.)  We made peanut butter cookies the other night and when they were cooled we sat down to eat them. I gave each boy one cookie and a small glass of milk. I served myself two cookies and milk.  Eli asked why I got two, and I answered that I was eating for me and the baby.  Silas said, "Me no cookie for my baby?!" with a sly grin. 

While Silas has been talking for a long while now, just in the last week or two he has really started to converse.  He tells stories, demands attention, and when he doesn't know the words, he uses sound effects.  This is possibly my favourite thing about him right now.  While he's talking you will catch a "whoosh" or a "bing" and sometimes even a "kapow!"  He will yell "no way, jose" if he doesn't want to do something, or just completely ignore you (which Jared says he gets from me.) The other morning he woke me up a few minutes earlier than usual saying "Baby kickin', baby kickin'."  He had been cuddling up against me, so I assumed he had felt the baby moving inside of me.  "NO!  My baby kickin'!"  Then he grabbed my hand and put it against his chest, where I could feel his little heart beating hard.  "My baby kickin'!"

Silas is officially potty trained (well, almost...)  The task took and unexpectedly long time, seeing as it took three days to train Eli at 22 months.  But, he's done it, and just in time. I really didn't want to be changing two kids' diapers.  He just doesn't have that drive to please that his brother has.  If he didn't want to go in the potty, then he dang well wasn't going to.  He is his own man in every way. 

Silas is not easily shaken.  He can fall, roll, bump into, or crash, and will get up and keep on going without much complaint.  He usually doesn't notice, and more often doesn't care what others are doing around him.  Although, in the moments when he does, he is sure to express his indignation if he is not being involved.

My boy loves to cuddle, with me anyway.  When he crawls into bed with me, which he does every night still, he likes to fall asleep facing my face with one arm under my neck and the other around my head.

I could really go on and on and on, but you get the point.  This kid is the best!

Talking

Can I be grateful for the fact that Silas is talking?  Well, I am.  Just in the last few weeks Silas has really decided that talking is a much better way of communication than grunting or yelling, and let me tell you, it is wonderful. It has fully assisted in our most recent accomplishment, potty training.  It provides countless moments of entertainment, like every time he feels cold and cries out, "Cold-y, cold-y." He says every word like it is a whole sentence of it's own: "Egg.  Milk.  More.  Please."  He also loves egg nog, but calls it egg. milk.  He sometimes (often) does things just because he knows the word for it: like when he puts things "Back."  just because he knows "back," or when he asks for water constantly, just because he knows the word "water."  I love the boy no matter what, but I'm really loving watching him discover language!

Silas has an announcement...

He's proud to say that in April he's going to be a

That's right, the Wiebe family is adding to the global population crisis, and sometime in April we will be welcoming a new baby!!!  Yesterday the boys and I went to our midwives, who heard the baby's heartbeat.  I am 14 weeks pregnant, and happy to feel human again. 

Yes, we will be having a home birth.  No, I won't be getting an ultrasound to find out what we're having.  No, I'm not trying for a girl, I will be thrilled with another boy.  And yes, we are all so, so excited!!!

And, in case you were wondering, Eli is equally as proud:

Update on the Wiebes

Hello all.  So sorry it's been so long.  This life of mine has just been a little hectic as of late, and blogging has been last on my list of to-dos. Two years ago I would never have expected to STILL be living in my parent's basement.  And I promise, we've been trying to find our way out.  As of today (ask me again tomorrow) we are actually going to be moving in the next few weeks to the one bedroom basement suite we own.  It is just temporary, until our tenants in our condo move out, but it is time to fly the roost, even if our new roost isn't ideal.  I'm dying to have a permanent abode, to decorate and call my own.  Oh well, another few months and it will be so.

In the mean time, good things are happening.  Just two weeks ago this little guy turned 2!!!

Oh how I love him.  He's such a joy in our family.  He is fearless, never hesitating to follow his older brother and cousins wherever they may go.  He jumps everywhere he goes.  He is talking so well, trying out new words constantly.  He loves his daddy and almost every morning while eating breakfast cries, "Daddy, gone?!"  In the last few weeks we have moved both boys out of our bed and into their own room, and Silas loves it.  While Eli almost certainly crawls into bed with us sometime in the night, Silas usually sleeps a whole 12 hours in his big bed, only crawling in with me in the morning when he wants "mo"!  That's right, he is still nursing, and when I ask him if he wants some "mo" he usually squeals with delight, "Yeah!"  I love it!  He loves dressing up.  He has spent most of the last two weeks dressed as Buzz Lightyear (just like his big brother did at the same age.)  He loves pirates and whenever he sees any pirate paraphernalia he yells "Arggg!" He is strong willed and confident, and I hope those traits will help him grow to be a righteous, obedient boy. Eli says that he loves that "Silas likes to play with me."  Silas is such a blessing in our lives, and we are so grateful to have him around.  Happy birthday, little man!

 Silas is lucky enough to share a birthday with his cousin Charlie.  This year Charlie turned 8, and therefore got baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We spent both their birthdays at the baptism.  I can't think of a thing I'd rather do.  I love that both my boys have cousins that are such good examples of righteousness to them.

 Silas also is just two weeks younger than his cousin Nixon, who came to visit us for a few days this month.  It was so much fun to see them play, and dress up in their new birthday costumes. These two will be a riot in a few more years.  I can't wait to see them!

So that's it. Maybe I will get around to posting a few more of our September adventures.  I've justified not journalling the last few years because of this blog, and recently I haven't even been blogging.  I promise to get on it!

Buy My 'Papes, Sir - Newsboy Hat

I love to knit and crochet.  Okay, maybe my love borders on obsession, which borders on total neglect of my children and husband for hours at a time while I sit, yarn in hand... but whatevs.

On my favourite pattern site, Ravelry, there are over 220 000 patterns available.  Of those 220 000 there are 73 000 patterns that specify that they are for the female gender, be it baby girls, child aged girls or grown women.  Never mind the thousands of clothing items for dolls.  There are only 8 000 that specify that they are for boys.  Okay, forget the math. The point is there are an infinite amount of patterns out there for girls, and a limited amount for boys.  And I get it.  Sweaters, dresses, darling hats with larger-than-your-baby's-head flowers on them tend to be way more exciting than plain toques (Canadian for beanies.)  But, I like to dress up my boys, and I like to make things for them. So, in my attempt to do just that, Silas got a new hat!

No, it isn't meant to be on sideways, but when a 20 month old dresses himself...

 

Call me lazy, but the quickest way to knit and crochet is to use thick yarn and big stitches.  So these hats are designed to be quick and easy.  Made with bulky yarn (or two strands of worsted weight yarn, even better because you can bust up your stash like mad making these) they only take an hour to make.  That's my idea of a great project.   So, whip out your crochet hooks and crochet up one of these for your own little one, or for the next baby shower you go to.  Put that bag of yarn from your grandma to work!

Here's the pattern for the Buy My 'Papes, Sir Newsboy Hat. (Just click on the link, and it will take you there.)  If you do make one, I'd love to see pictures, or upload them to Ravelry.  Let me know if you have any problem getting the PDF and I will make sure to get it to you.

 

You Win Some, You Lose Some - Long sleeve oxford shirt to short sleeve - Mini Tutorial

I love it when I have an idea that I think is just going to be brilliant, but it turns out a flop.  It keeps me humble (and my kids too, since they usually have to wear my flopped creation or otherwise participate in its use.) 

Silas has just moved up a size of clothing.  Every time I do that I am surprised how dirty and worn the clothes are. I'm sure they weren't like that when I put them in the bins two years ago...  Eli wore the same clothes in the summer, so I don't have a lot of pants, but I've acquired a few hand me downs and giveaways, and so Silas's drawers are stocked.  One pair of GAP jeans, oh so cute, had a big stain on the knee that I couldn't get out.  It looks like whoever wore it before knelt in tar.  I didn't want to waste a pair of precious jeans, and I certainly can't afford to buy new ones when I've got perfectly good old ones around (albeit a little stained), so I decided that I needed to make them work, tar stain or not.  Unfortunately, this was one project that wasn't so brilliant. I 'embroidered' right over the stain, thinking it would look artistic, but now it just looks like he knelt in red paint.  But somehow red paint seems more acceptable than tar, so he'll wear them anyway. 

Tar stain.

Strange red stain.

Whatever, he thinks it's cool, and I'm pretty sure that Winston agrees.

On the other hand, sometimes I make things work and I love it!  

I did manage to come up with a creative solution this week. My boys wear white shirts and ties to church every week.  I love dressing them up!  However, after a long winter, both boys have only long sleeved shirts.  Silas has the sweetest little short outfit that would look much better with a short sleeved shirt.  So, I took one of his shirts with rather stained cuffs and made it into what I wanted.  I love not having to spend money on fresh, new stuff for my boys! 

 Step 1: Use either a short sleeved button up shirt or a t-shirt as a pattern to determine where to cut the sleeves off. 

Step 2: Cut the sleeves about an inch and a half longer than you want them to be at the end, parallel to the present cuffs.

Step 3: Fold the arms under twice and press. 
Step 4: Sew in a straight line at 5/8" around the arm (this is a little tricky, as the arm is too narrow to go around the sewing machine, so make sure you only are sewing through one layer while you do this).
Step 5: Sew around again at 3/4".

And there you have it.  A great use of a shirt you've been using all winter, for the upcoming summer!  Of course I did this 30 minutes before I had to walk out of the door for church, so there was no time for good pictures, but I assure you he looked darling!

Broken something

You know how band-aids fix anything? Well, some times bigger band-aids are required.

Eli fell off the couch last night.  He just rolled right off.  He fell on his wrist, and was really upset.  Being the good mom I am, I told him to suck it up and that he'd be fine.  Well, hours later he was still complaining about it, and so, being the good mom I am I wrapped it up in a tensor and told him he'd be fine.  He was so excited for his cast on his broken arm.  Of course Silas wanted one too, so we fixed up his broken foot.  He couldn't have been more pleased.

If you were worried, Eli was still complaining this morning, so, for only the second time in his entire life I took him to the doctor, who disappointingly told him that his arm wasn't broken and wouldn't require a real cast.  We went home quite dejected, but somehow I think he's going to make it.

Never Cry over Spilled Soap

Silas is such a helpful boy. When he sees a problem, like a dirty kitchen floor, he tackles it head on.  Like the evening he emptied an entire bucket of dishwasher soap across the kitchen floor.  His sweet cousin Mari was an accomplice, but she got off easy because, well really, who could blame a face like that? And let's face it, Silas has never been known for his ability to resist dumping whatever he can find.  When I came around the corner and said, "What's going on here?"  Mari started crying immediately. She knew she was in trouble.  Silas, on the other hand started laughing and pointing at his art work. I said, "No one move, I need my camera."  By the time I got back Mari was really sure she was dead meat, and Silas was still laughing.  There was soap everywhere, including in the dark recesses of his diaper. At least the floor is clean!

 

Here he is actually trying to clean it up.  He was so cute, clutching the soap in his sweaty fists and dropping minute amounts back in the bucket.  

Ahoy Matey - Baby Wearing Tube

I love to wear my babies (and toddlers, for that matter.) I've got a little bit of an addiction when it comes to baby carriers.  I have woven wraps and stretchy wraps.  I have ring slings and pouch slings. I have a structured soft carrier, and I even have a framed backpack carrier. In our move to Victoria we didn't bring any toys, any bibs or spoons, we didn't worry about cribs or high chairs. We didn't even bring a stroller.  But, we did bring my ERGObaby Carrier, and it's already been indispensable.  Silas has been in it on all our walks and adventures.

After four years of baby wearing I have finally solved a constant problem.  Inevitably as we hike/walk/explore, the weather changes.  Sometimes it's just walking in and out of buildings at the zoo.  Taking the baby in and out of the carrier just to take off a coat, and then put it back on, is more than tedious, it's downright annoying!  Never mind the fact that wearing a bulky coat in the carrier can be more than a bit bothersome.  So, on my long drive to Victoria I knit to solve the problem (if only more problems of the world couldn't be solved by knitting) and I came up with this:

Wonderful, eh?  It's a simple knit tube, with a hole in the middle for the baby's back.  Naturally I needed to make it manly for my little boy, so the skully was knit in.  I've got to make another now and actually make it fit him, but I'm totally loving my invention.  It's such an easy way to keep his exposed back and arms warm without the bulk of a coat.  And, it's easy to take on and off while he's still in the carrier, so you don't have to worry about the temperature changes. I think I might make a few more with girly prints and better yarn.  Oh, the cleverness of me! Stay posted for the perfected version and a pattern!

Second Verse, Same as the First...

I've heard that the more a child is exposed to Chicken Pox before they actually get it, the worse of a case they will have.  I'm not sure of the medical evidence of that statement, but antidotally, I have to guess that it is true.  Poor Silas, after being subjected to sharing spit with at least four other people with the chicken pox, has finally come down with a case of his own.  I am so glad that he is really too young to understand just how bad it is, but man, the poor kid is COVERED!

He's even got a few on the inside of his eye lids.  He keeps pointing at them and signing "hurt." I bet they hurt!

So what have I done?  Bathed him lots.  He doesn't seem to notice the itch if he's in the bath.

And let him play outside, sans diaper.  I'm sure glad it's a nice spring day in Calgary, as rare as that is this year.

Oh, the rites of childhood.  Eli keeps telling him, "It's okay, you're going to be really strong after the chicken box go away."  And he's right.  Nothing like natural immunity to strengthen a body.  Still, poor kid. 

And on a philosophical/soap box note: it's funny how something that was once completely normal, in less than 10 years has become so feared.  I have to chalk that one up to pharmaceutical scare tactics.  I have had several people come to me with their unvaccinated children to expose them to my boys.  They all come with a little worry about what others may think of our "Chicken Pox Party."   Even though I have been extremely careful about keeping my boys home while they are contagious, I have been accused of being careless and selfish just for having chicken pox at our house.  Perhaps most other people had far worse experiences having chicken pox than I did, but it seems to me that many people are terrified of something that really isn't a big deal at all.  On the other hand, I have also found this a great opportunity to talk with people about the choices our family makes, and that some people, while they are equally happy about the different choices they have made, are understanding and totally nonjudgmental. Why is it that the rude, condemnatory people stand out more? In any case, I'm glad that my boys have both been able to get chicken pox, that there immunity is stronger for it, and will be for the rest of their lives.  I am also grateful that I do breastfeed my toddlers, because not only have I been able to provide nutrients, I have also been able to give comfort when it has really been needed.  Chicken pox? No big deal!

Super Heroes Brush Their Teeth

Lately we have been very interested in the workings of Super Heroes. It's been working out quite well, as we've learned that Super Heroes eat tomatoes, and Super Heroes get lots of sleep, and most importantly, Super Heroes can't have cavities, so Super Heroes brush their teeth!

Just to confirm that last fact, we took Eli to the dentist yesterday to make sure we weren't mistaken.

Turns out we were right, Super Heroes definitely brush their teeth, and floss, every day!

Eli was glad to learn it, because he's a really good tooth brusher. 

And, it also turns out that dad might be a Super Hero (a fact not yet confirmed), because he didn't have any cavities.

Silas played the side-kick in this episode, albeit he slept through the entire adventure...

Don't wake a sleeping baby

I don't know why, but Silas has been a miserable sleeper lately, being sick and all, so when he manages to fall asleep, I don't mess with the magic.  I love my Si-Guy. 

This one's my favourite.

Chicken Box Party!

I've been searching for 4 years, and finally I found it: the Chicken Pox have finally infected my children. For three weeks we've been talking about it, we've gone to two different houses to ensure exposure, sucked on suckers and popsicles, chowed down on cookies and traded pajamas.  It's really been quite fun.

Until the spots showed up...

That's him trying to be sad.  He really was, but he's too much like me to not smile prettily for the camera. 

Once the thrill of actually having the pox wore off he began begging for a "Chicken Box Party" of his own so that he could give the pox away.  Even in his misery he is so cute!

So, we did what any good parents would do, we threw him a party to celebrate his Chicken Box, with something that hasn't been in our house for over 3 months: macaroni!!!!  (Don't worry, it was organic... in case you were wondering.)  I'm not sure what Eli was more excited for, the macaroni, or the idea that we weren't "doing a raw diet" anymore.  He was really excited.

Although Silas wasn't really sure why we were spoiling him so, he was pretty pleased as well.   

They were both just as excited about the raw chocolate dessert as they were about the macaroni.

I remember when I got the chicken pox my Aunt Liz brought over a felt story book.   I don't remember the misery of it, although I'm sure it was miserable, but I do remember that book.  Maybe tomorrow I need to sneak out of this sick house and buy Eli something special, even more special than the macaroni!